1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus having a function to store received image data in an unloadable external storage medium.
2. Related Background Art
A facsimile device has been known as an apparatus of this type. A facsimile device which stores received image information in a semiconductor memory has been known. When a volume of the image information to be received exceeds a memory capacity of the semiconductor memory, the semiconductor memory indicates an over-capacity and the reception is interrupted. Since the memory capacity of the semiconductor memory is usually small, the frequency of interruption of the reception due to the over-capacity is high. In order to lower the frequency of the interruption of the reception due to the over-capacity of the semiconductor memory, the received image information may be transferred to a floppy disk.
In such a prior art facsimile device, if the facsimile device is receiving information and the floppy disk is unloaded from a disk drive and not reloaded while the image information stored in the semiconductor memory is transferred to the floppy disk, the semiconductor memory is over the capacity if the volume of the received image information is larger than the vacant capacity of the semiconductor memory, and the reception is interrupted.
The following U.S. Patents and U.S. patent application relate to the memory reception: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,717,967; 4,774,590; 4,789,900; 4,814,890; 4,827,349; 4,829,385; 4,900,902; 4,907,094; 4,910,785; 4,922,349 and Ser. No. 267,732 refiled on Nov. 3, 1988. However, none of them suggests a solution to the above problem.